Improved earth-scraper



JOHN Y. HERSTON, OF WARRICK COUNTY, INDIANA.

Lezers Patent No. 88,785, dazed Apr-tz 13, 1869.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and makingA part of the same.

Beit known that I, JOHN Y. HERSTON, of the county i of Warrick, in the State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful machine for removing.' earth, called Herstons Earth-Scraper; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.- y

rIhe nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of devices herein fully described,

-to form an improved road-scraper, that will be easily i ened firmly to the axle H, and the other end terminating in a shoulder.

D is the trigger, or foot-lever, and is an iron bar, attached to the rear of the stock J, with an iron bolt passing through, and being fastened infront of the stock. It forms a right angle at the top, having a shaft running out to the right and entering into the lock. Ilre foot of the trigger is turned out to the rear nearly at right angles to the stock, and flattened at the end.

E is the mould-board, usually made of wood, and in size to correspond with the scraper. It has a metallic plating on the lower front edge, to insure sharpness and durability, with iron straps around the ends, and iron braces reaching from the ends of the mould-board to the beam.

F represents the handles.

G is the beam.

H is the axle, and consists of an iron rod, placed in the rear o f the mouldlboard. Near each end of the axle it is bent at right angles to the mould-board, and then enough of the extremities to admit the wheels is againbent, so as to point parallel with the mouldboard.

I represents the wheels, which are composed of either wood or metal, and may be either wrought or cast.

J is the stock, being an upright piece of timber, to which the beam and mould-board are attached.

The handles are fastened to the beam in front, and are held togetherin the rear by al1 iron rod, and are supported by -a wooden spindle, supported upon the stock, and mortised into the handles.

The axle is placed in the rear of the mould-board, to which it is fastened, by staples, about nine (9) inches fromeach end of the mould-board. At these staples the axle is bent at right angles, so that when the driver desires to scrape up the earth, he strikes his foot against the lower point of the trigger, driving the-trigger to the right. This process raises the lock out of the shoulder of the arm.

As the arm dies to the mould-board, the wheels drop back from'the mould-board, thus letting it down into the earth.

When the scraper is sutiiciently loaded with earth, and transferred to the place of deposit, the driver, who

, usually walks-behind and holds the scraper, raises the handles, when the arm at once falls back into the catch, or hook, on the lower end of the lock. This brings the wheels up again close to the mould-board.

As soon as the scraper is started, the mould-board rises up', and allows the earth to escape beneath it.

The scraper is then brought to the place of excavaf tion, the shoulder of the arm being in the hook of the lock, when the driver strikes his foot, as before, against the left side of the lower end of the trigger, which throws the shoulder out of the hook, sets the wheels back, and lets the mould-board into the earth again.

This scraper can also be used to level very accurately and rapidly not only the earth deposited by itself, but also any other uneven surface of newly-deposited earth.

In taking the scraper from one place to another, the driver may ride upon the seatr Some parts of this machine have been in use some time, and I do not claim the construction of the beam, handles, or mouldaboard, or, broadly, a scraper mounted on wheels and adjustable vertically; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The bent axle H, with its arm O and the catch B, provided with lthe foot-lever, or trigger D, when these .parts are constructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purposes described.

JOHN Y. HEBS'ION, Witnesses: l

JOHN Ommen, WILLIAM HERsroN. 

